Zora
also invests · investor profileNew York City, US · Founded 2020 · 8 known investors
Zora is a creator-economy crypto protocol and Ethereum Layer 2 network for publishing, trading and collecting media onchain.
Also known as ZORA · Zora Labs · Zora Network
Founders & leadership
Zora was founded in 2020 by Jacob Scott Horne and Dee Goens.
Investors · 8
Also in the syndicate · 1
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$65.2M disclosed across 5 of 6 rounds · 2020–2024
▶$2.6MraisedMay 2024 · 1 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Jacob Scott HorneExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $2.6M
- Amount sold
- $2.6M
- First sale
- May 2024
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2020
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$10.8MraisedMay 2022 · 30 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Jacob Scott HorneExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $10.8M
- Amount sold
- $10.8M
- First sale
- Jul 2021
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2020
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$41.8MraisedMay 2022 · 5 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Jacob Scott HorneExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $50M
- Amount sold
- $41.8M
- First sale
- Apr 2022
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2020
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$8MraisedMar 2021 · 5 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Jacob Scott HorneExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $8M
- Amount sold
- $8M
- First sale
- Jan 2021
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2020
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$2MraisedOct 2020 · 23 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Jacob Scott HorneExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $2M
- Amount sold
- $2M
- First sale
- May 2020
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2020
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Valuation · disclosed
Disclosed eventsSource: SEC prospectus filings, and round valuations the company or its investors disclosed — follow each entry's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Zora (operating entity referred to as Zora Labs) is a crypto protocol for the creator economy that lets media be published, discovered and transacted onchain. Its protocol allows artists and developers to create NFT marketplaces and collections; Zora runs its own primary marketplace where users can list NFTs, though the majority of NFTs sold via its protocol are transacted on third-party sites, with organizations such as Mirror and FWB using the protocol to sell NFTs to their communities.
Zora also operates a media-first Layer 2 network built on the OP Stack on top of Ethereum, positioned to provide low-cost transactions for creators and collectors. A newer component, Zora Coins, converts social media profiles and posts into tradeable tokens. The ZORA token functions as a utility asset in the ecosystem, used for creator rewards, tipping and as a backing currency for platform-issued coins; it is deployed on Base (contract 0x1111...0afc69) with a total and maximum supply of 10 billion tokens. Zora also publishes an editorial property, Zora Zine, covering onchain art, creators and crypto culture.
Founding story
Jacob Horne cofounded Zora in 2020 after working at Coinbase, with the aim of helping artists and musicians capture the value of their work through NFTs and DAOs by providing tools to create and sell.
Business model
Zora provides protocol-level infrastructure (NFT minting/marketplace contracts, an OP Stack Layer 2, and a coins system) used both through its own interfaces and by third-party applications, with an associated ZORA utility token used for creator rewards, tipping and backing platform-issued coins.
Not specified in the available sources.
Traction
Public market data reports roughly 1.12 million ZORA token holders, a circulating supply of about 4.47 billion of 10 billion tokens, a market capitalization near $30 million, fully diluted valuation near $68 million, 24-hour trading volume of roughly $50-55 million, and total value locked of about $5.5 million. The token trades across dozens of exchanges and markets.
Latest developments
Coverage aggregated by CoinGecko notes a reported pivot by the founder from social toward AI and trading, associated with a period of token price movement. The ZORA token recorded an all-time low of about $0.0047 in August 2026 after peaking at about $0.147 in August 2025.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Positioned as a creator- and media-focused alternative to centralized NFT marketplaces; at the time of its 2022 financing the majority of NFT volume still flowed through OpenSea. Market-data providers categorize Zora across NFT, SocialFi, launchpad and Layer 2 categories, and rank the ZORA token in the #500-650 range by market capitalization.
Zora emphasizes a neutral, 'platformless' marketplace for culture and media ownership, providing a cryptographically enforced registry of media that is independent of any single interface, combined with a dedicated media-first Layer 2 offering low-cost transactions.
Technology
An Ethereum Layer 2 network built with the OP Stack that prioritizes NFTs and media, plus onchain protocol contracts enabling creation of NFT marketplaces and collections and the Zora Coins system that tokenizes social profiles and posts. The ZORA token is issued on Base.
Go-to-market
Distribution through its own marketplace and interfaces alongside third-party applications building on the protocol, exchange listings and launchpool programs (referenced on KuCoin, Bybit, Bitget and Gate), and content marketing via the Zora Zine editorial site.
Artists, musicians, creators and developers building or selling media onchain, plus collectors; crypto-native communities and applications such as Mirror and FWB have built on the protocol.
Geography
Cofounder Jacob Horne is listed in New York, New York; the protocol and token are globally accessible and traded on international exchanges.
History
Zora was cofounded in 2020 by Jacob Horne, previously at Coinbase, to help artists and musicians capture value from their work using NFTs and DAOs. In May 2022 the company raised $50 million at a $600 million valuation in a round led by Haun Ventures, that firm's first deal. The project subsequently launched an OP Stack Layer 2 network and the ZORA token, which reached an all-time high of about $0.147 in August 2025 before declining sharply.
Risks & controversies
The ZORA token has been highly volatile, trading roughly 95% below its August 2025 all-time high and hitting an all-time low in August 2026; a large share of supply (roughly 5.5 billion of 10 billion tokens) remains outside circulation, creating potential dilution from future unlocks.
Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsHaun Ventures led its first deal in NFT startup Zora Labs, a $50 million round valuing the company at $600 million, with participation from Coinbase Ventures and Kindred Ventures.
$50M source ↗
Jacob Horne, formerly of Coinbase, cofounded Zora in 2020 to help artists and musicians capture the value of their work using NFTs and DAOs.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 7
primary sources listed
- ZORA price today, ZORA to USD live price, marketcap and chart | CoinMarketCapcoinmarketcap.com · web
7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Zora do?
- Zora is a creator-economy crypto protocol and Ethereum Layer 2 network for publishing, trading and collecting media onchain.
- Who founded Zora?
- Zora was founded by Jacob Scott Horne, Dee Goens in 2020.
- Who are Zora's investors?
- Zora's investors include Balaji Srinivasan, Draft Ventures Llc, Haun Ventures, Justin “3LAU” Blau, Paradigm, Variant Fund, Coinbase Ventures.
- How much funding has Zora raised?
- Zora has disclosed $65.2M raised across 5 of its 6 known rounds.
- Where is Zora headquartered?
- Zora is headquartered in New York City, US.